The dark history of the secluded island hosting Trump and Kim

What to expect from Trump-Kim summit1:08

US President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will begin early on June 12 in Singapore, the White House has confirmed in its first announcement of a timetable for the closely-watched meeting. Will it live up to expectations or is it simply the beginning of another turbulent road to the political wastelands?

June 5th 2018

6 months ago

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Sentosa Island off Singapore, where US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet next week, harbours a dark history. Picture: AFP/Roslan RahmanSource:AFP

THE first-ever meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea will be held at a luxury resort on a spectacular island — with a very brutal past.

Billed as Singapore’s top holiday resort, Sentosa Island draws a massive 20 million visitors each year with its stunning beaches, glitzy casinos and theme parks.

The island’s name means “peace and tranquillity” and as it’s only accessible via one bridge linking it to the mainland, it’s also secluded and private — making it an ideal spot for US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s historic June 12 summit.

But until a few decades ago, the island went by a different name, Pulau Belakang Mati — which roughly translates to “island of death from behind”.

And that gives some indication of this carefree island’s dark past.

A picture-perfect coastal scene on Sentosa Island, off Singapore.Source:Supplied

One theory suggests the old name derived from Sentosa’s former association with piracy, as the 500-hectare tropical island was reportedly a popular pirates’ hideaway.

Another theory taps into legends of the spirit world.

“[The theory] speaks of the island being the ‘paradise’ of ‘warrior spirits’ whose bodies were entombed at [nearby island] Pulau Brani,” the National Library Board of Singapore said.

The island is packed with attractions, including a Universal Studios, casinos and golf courses. Picture: AFP/Roslan RahmanSource:AFP

But the ominous name could also refer to a deadly disease that swept the island in the late 1840s and came close to wiping out the entire population.

The island’s association with death and bloodshed didn’t end there — it also had a big, and horrific, role in World War II.

After the surrender of Singapore to Japanese forces in 1942, Sentosa was turned into a brutal camp for Australian and British prisoners of war.

It was also a killing field for Singaporean Chinese people who, during the Japanese occupation, were accused of anti-Japanese activities and executed.

The island is believed to have been a hiding spot for pirates.Source:Supplied

The accused, mostly civilians, were rounded up on a two-kilometre beach — now a massive golf course — and shot dead, with their bodies hurled into the sea.

About 300 corpses washed ashore during the Japanese occupation, the Straits Times reported.

Fort Siloso, a major attraction on Sentosa, was used during the war to guard against approaches to Singapore. Its guns, ammunition bunkers and tunnels are on display, along with Singapore’s biggest collection of WWII memorabilia.

The island has been dramatically redeveloped. Picture: AFP/Roslan RahmanSource:AFP

Things changed during the 1970s when the Singaporean government developed the island as a tourist destination — and gave it its current, more visitor-friendly name.

Far from the violence of its past, the island began to be synonymous with outdoor leisure, shopping and luxury, and as well as being a tourism powerhouse, it’s also home to some of Singapore’s richest people, with waterfront villas priced at up to $39 million.

It also has 17 hotels, two golf courses, a three-kilometre beach lined with palm trees, an award-winning and a bunch of major attractions — Universal Studios Singapore, a Madame Tussauds museum, a water theme park, a nature park and massive shopping meccas.

The facade of the luxurious Capella hotel, where the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will take place. Picture: AFP/Roslan RahmanSource:AFP

Next week’s summit — the first sitting between the leaders of the US and North Korea — will be held at the luxury, five-star Capella hotel, a sprawling, opulent complex that’s a favourite with A-list celebrities, and where the most lavish rooms cost close to $10,000 for a night.

The hotel, which incorporates two colonial buildings that housed British officers in the 1880s, is known for its luxury amenities, impeccable service and privacy, according to the Associated Press.

It’s been given a fresh coat of paint and had red carpets rolled in ahead of the historic summit.